Preview: Saeri Kiritani’s Incredible Rice Sculpture

Saeri Kiritani recently created a delicate and introspective sculptural self-portrait made entirely using 100 pounds of rice. A reflection of the New York-based artist’s Japanese culture (“I grew up in Japan, where rice was the biggest part of my diet. It still is. You could say that the cells of my body are made mostly from rice,” she commented), the sculpture stirs cultural ideas surrounding food, self-image and others’ perception of one’s culture and self-identity. The sculpture won a place in Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition and will be revealed at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Portrait Gallery on March 23 and on view through February 2014.